


Stargazing

by SleepytimeOtter



Category: IT (2017), IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Explicit Language, Fluff, I wanted to write a little not-date between the two of them, M/M, Mutual Pining, aka theyre both super gay but wont Admit It, very very brief mentions of Mrs. K's bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-03 15:24:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21181691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepytimeOtter/pseuds/SleepytimeOtter
Summary: As their summer break slowly comes to an end, Richie Tozier decides that he wants to share one of his hidden passions with his best friend, Eddie Kaspbrak.





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

> I have the little headcanon that Richie is secretly a nerd for astronomy. He probably doesn't bring it up much because he thinks it's silly, but he knows there's one person who would never make fun of him for it.

It was one of the last days of their summer vacation when Richie brought up an interesting proposal.

“Eds, do you wanna go to the Barrens with me?”

“Like, just me?” Eddie had said with a cocked eyebrow, setting down the soda that he’d been nursing. Usually, they only visited the Barrens when it was the Losers as a whole. But the rest of the Losers had long since disappeared into their own corners of Derry, whether it be to hang out with each other separately or to attend other commitments. Now, Eddie and Richie found themselves sitting alone outside of one of the comic book shops downtown.

“No, the other Eddie Kaspbrak,” Richie says, sarcasm dripping off of his voice. “Of course, _mi amor._” Eddie grimaces at his attempt at an accent.

“I’ll go with you if you never do that accent again,” he says evenly.

Richie laughs out loud, unperturbed by Eddie’s deadpan expression. “You know I can’t promise that.”

Richie’s heart soars when he hears Eddie sigh, a smile playing on the edge of his lips. “I hate that that's true,” he mutters.

Eddie looks at him, though, his expression slightly more serious. “I’ll go, but I can’t be out too late or my mom will be pissed,” he warns. Richie slings his arm over his shoulder, patting Eddie’s bicep enthusiastically.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

\------------------------------------------------------

Now, the afternoon sun is quickly disappearing. The blue summer sky bled into ribbons of pink and orange, swirling in between clouds with vibrant swaths of color. With a last-gasp effort, the sun illuminates the town of Derry in a warm glow of waning light. It dapples through trees and shines between buildings, casting the brick buildings in many hues of gold - signaling the end of another day.

Richie thinks that it could almost make the little town look pretty, if only the town of Derry wasn’t such a shithole.

The sound of Eddie’s door creaking open catches his attention. Richie stands on the curb outside of Eddie’s house, half-sitting on his bike with his elbows draped over the handlebars. The sunlight beams over his face, and he is forced to squint against the glint on his glasses in order to search for his best friend. They lock eyes, and Eddie descends the stairs to his porch - skipping every other step.

“Hop on, Eds,” Richie says as soon as Eddie comes within earshot.

“Not my name,” Eddie mutters under his breath. But he does as he’s told, and slowly climbs onto the back of Richie’s bike. Richie shifts slightly to allow him a little bit more wiggle room... Not that it helps much. It’s an awkward balancing act getting himself in the right position, but he finally shapes himself in the small space behind Richie’s back.

Richie tries to convince himself that the accelerated stuttering of his heart rate is because of the anxiety of now holding both of their lives in his hands - not due to their close proximity, oh no. He can feel Eddie breathe against his back as he settles in.

“Comfy back there?” he says over his shoulder.

“Not at all,” Eddie says, smirking. “Let’s go.”

It’s a little harder to pedal with the extra weight on his bike, but he’s determined to do it. He leans forward, putting his weight into it and picks up speed.

Richie stiffens when Eddie’s arms wind loosely around his waist. He tries to loosen the tension as quickly as it comes and releases it in a shallow breath in an attempt to regain control. Even though normally Richie and Eddie had always been comfortable with being close to each other, it never failed to make Richie’s composure slip when he was... _this_ close. His pedaling falters a little bit before he builds up into a steady rhythm and Richie can feel the wind begin to whip against his skin. He feels Eddie shiver behind him, probably cursing himself for not changing into his jeans by now.

The late-summer air noticeably cools as the sun dips low below the horizon, and Richie can feel Eddie moving even closer to him - if such a thing is even possible - as soon as the two of them pedal further into the darkness. Richie was always warmer than Eddie was, which seems to work in Eddie’s advantage as the temperature plummets. Looking over his shoulder briefly, Richie steals a glance. Eddie is looking away from him, staring at the passing houses as they breeze through the streets. Hues of pink and purple glow against the brown of his best friend’s hair, swirling together like a painting. His hair blows in the breeze so gently, framing his lightly freckled face.

Eddie rests his chin in between Richie’s shoulder blades, which makes Richie swallow hard. He tries his hardest not to focus on the way that Eddie’s breath washes against the back of his neck.

His body suddenly feels warmer.

By the time Richie realizes he hadn’t been focusing on the road, it’s too late. He lurches forward when he hits a rock a little too quickly, and Eddie comes with him. His tight grip on the handlebars is likely the only thing that had prevented them from flying off onto the asphalt. This fact isn’t lost on Eddie. His fingers tangle into the Hawaiian shirt Richie is wearing with a white-knuckle grip. Richie recovers instantly - barking out a laugh at the loud curse that slips from his best friend’s lips.

“You’re gonna fuckin’ kill us, Richie!” Eddie hisses, slapping the front of Richie’s chest lightly with an open palm.

“Eh, at least we’d be going out together,” Richie says, glancing back over his shoulder with a smirk. He lets out a yelp when Eddie swats him again, this time a little harder.

“That doesn’t make us any less dead!”

Richie only laughs then, shrugging his shoulders. He tries his hardest to avoid any sort of rocks or potholes afterward, though. He doesn’t want to scare Eddie too much, even if that means he won’t get to feel Eddie scramble closer to him. He admittedly prefers that they get to where they’re going in one piece, too. 

It’s Eddie who breaks the silence as soon as they end up nearing the Barrens. 

“How much longer is it gonna be, Rich?” he asks, leaning his mouth up to speak closer to his friend's ear. Eddie had been shivering slightly; had he been getting colder? “It feels like you’ve been driving for forever.”

“Be patient, Eds. We’ll be there soon.” He can physically feel Eddie grimace against his back.

And, for once in his life, when Richie Tozier said ‘soon’, he actually meant it. After what could have only been a minute or two, they end up skidding to a stop at a wall of trees. Richie looks over his shoulder. 

“We’re here, sweet cheeks.” 

Eddie glowers at him. 

Richie takes him up to one of his favorite spots near the Barrens - a hidden place between a thicket of trees. It’s clear for a few feet in either direction, creating an oblong shape between the mess of woods and bushes. 

The little clearing is completely secluded and unknown by most of the people of Derry, so it’s been a place that Richie could go to disappear for a little while if he ever needed to. It’s one of the few places that he can truly feel safe when he wasn’t with the rest of the Losers. Safe from prying eyes and whispered rumors. 

The final remnants of summertime wildflowers cling to life in between crisscrossed tree roots, barely visible in the low light. Grass grew up along with them in a soft blanket of green, swaying softly in the breeze. The wildflowers’ subtle scent lingers in the air even after nightfall, which gives the meadow a pleasant aroma of sweetness. He glances sideways at Eddie, who looks starstruck at the sight. 

“What is this place?” Eddie says, voice tinged with barely-hidden awe.

Richie’s grin spreads broadly across his face. He makes a wide gesture with his right arm, sweeping over the clearing as if introducing a famous actor on stage.

“This, my Eddie Spaghetti, is one of the most gorgeous places in Derry.” Eddie’s eyebrows furrow at the nickname, but Richie continues. “I found it not too long ago. Pretty cool, right?”

“It is.” Eddie’s voice is soft as he pauses at the edge of the treeline. Richie walks ahead of him, hands in his pockets, before he drops unceremoniously to the ground in the center of the meadow. He reclines backward, stretching out his limbs with a groan.

His eyes flicker over to Eddie, and Richie pats the grass beside him eagerly when he sees him hesitate to join him. _Don’t roll in the grass, Eddie… You know how your allergies get._ The memory of Mrs. Kaspbrak’s voice echoes in Richie’s mind at once. A voice he’s certain Eddie is remembering, too.

“C’mon. I’m sure you’ll be fine, Eds. Gazebos, remember?”

Eddie opens his mouth and then closes it, apparently deciding not to dignify the last part of Richie’s invitation with a response. He chews the inside of his lip slightly as if he’s lost in thought, but settles down in the grass beside him a moment later.

“If I get a rash, Rich,” Eddie mutters. It’s almost comedic in a way - how Eddie pulls his bare knees up to where they touched as little of the grass as possible, as if he’s trying to make himself smaller.

“Don’t worry, I’ll put a pound of Benadryl on your back for you,” Richie says, smugness evident even within the low light.

“How kind of you.”

Richie laughs and tugs him down to lay beside him. Eddie lets out a fast string of curses, but doesn’t attempt to sit back up again despite it all.

The meadow is far enough away from Derry proper to where the light pollution is very minor, considering. There’s still an obvious glow of gold on the tips of the horizon that tell the story of a nearby city, of course; but unlike in the heart of the city, here you could actually see glimpses of space and its wonders. It’s partially why Richie likes the spot so much: here, he can put some of his limited knowledge on astronomy to the test whenever he wants to.

With each passing minute, the sky seems to darken even more, and the stars truly come alive. It is only when the lavender sky bleeds into violet that the two of them can really see the stars in their full glory, speckling across the horizon like flecks of silver. Oddly, they remind Richie of the freckles that are peppered across Eddie’s face. It might be why he enjoys stargazing so much.

Eddie scoots a little closer towards him in the grass when night fully falls. It isn’t a secret that Eddie is afraid of the dark - it was something that Richie knew about for as long as he could remember. And after what they had been through with It, Richie couldn’t really blame him for his fear. He always makes a point not to tease him about it. He reflexively lifts his arm to allow for Eddie to squeeze into the crook of his armpit. 

It still doesn’t stop him from shuddering when their shoulders made contact, though.

“Fuck, it’s cold out here,” Richie says, trying his best to play it off. 

“You’re damn right it’s fucking cold,” Eddie grunts. “Come here; I don’t want to die of hypothermia.” 

Before Richie can argue, Eddie pushes even closer to him. He probably is a little colder considering he still insisted on wearing his shorts, so Richie tries not to let their sudden closeness get to his head too much. When Eddie lays his cheek on his shoulder, though, he suddenly feels incredibly lightheaded. 

The two of them are quiet for a moment as they settle into the darkness and their eyes begin to properly adjust. Richie searches across the sky, looking for any sign of a constellation he’s familiar with. He lets out a sudden noise of recognition as his eyes land on a particular cluster of stars. He points to the side of them; a sudden movement that makes Eddie jump slightly.  
“You see those stars over there?” Richie asks gently. “That's Gemini.”

“Those bright ones over there?” Eddie questions, squinting his eyes. Richie makes a noise of confirmation, and Eddie continues. “They’re clustered really close together.”

“No shit, they are the twins, Eds- _ow!_” Richie curses when Eddie flicks his arm. He limply holds onto himself, wiggling in the grass dramatically. “I will _never_ regain the use of my arm _ever_ again,” he whines.

“I think you’ll survive.” Eddie’s voice comes out in a huff. He thinks for a moment, though, and then looks up at him. “Wait. Where’d you learn about this stuff, anyway?” he questions. Richie can feel Eddie staring at him in the corner of his vision, and he squirms under the weight of his gaze.

“We had to do an astronomy assignment for class one time,” Richie explains with a shrug. “We had to read some book about constellations and their meanings, and… I dunno. I liked it, I guess,” he says. His voice grows quieter the more he speaks, ending up as nearly intelligible mumblings. Suddenly growing self-conscious, he takes in a breath as he continues - trying to even out his words. “It’s kinda cool to find all the different constellations.”

“Yeah, it is,” Eddie says with an air of distraction. “I never really thought about how many stars there were until now.”

Richie looks over to him, and he feels his heart flutter when he sees the look on Eddie’s face. It’s like he’s truly _seeing_ the stars for the first time. His eyes are as wide as saucers, reflecting the shimmering stars like a mirror as he gazes towards them. The moonlight hits his face in a way that illuminates his features in a way that takes Richie’s breath away. It’s a sight that he’ll likely never forget.

It feels like a special moment of vulnerability that only Richie is being allowed to see. He thanks any god that would listen for their blessings. 

Eddie’s hand reaches out to touch him, patting his shoulder gently to get his attention. The simple action of fingers brushing against him prickle against his skin like fireworks. It’s enough to set Richie’s heart alight, and he’s suddenly glad that it’s probably too dark for Eddie to see the color that’s climbing his cheeks. His breath hitches in his throat when Eddie reaches over him with his other hand, pointing towards a cluster of stars to their right.

“What’s that one?” His voice is soft and tinged with a curiosity that Richie is rarely blessed with. He follows his gaze, squinting behind his glasses. There is the clear shape of a backward question mark at the edge of Eddie’s finger, making the identification process easy.

“Leo,” Richie answers - almost instantly. He guides Eddie’s hand gently with his own, leading his pointing finger down on the horizon. “Which means the Big Dipper is…” When Eddie’s finger points towards another cluster of stars, he finishes. “There.”

Eddie hums low in his throat - a sound of agreement. Richie goes to loosen his grip on his hand, but Eddie grabs for it, twining their fingers together instead. Richie turns to look at him with wide eyes, waiting for the joke. But Eddie doesn’t pull away, and he continues to casually gaze up at the sky as their hands drop to rest on the crown of Richie’s chest.

He feels a warmth spreading up from his palm, shuddering through him like an electric shock.

It’s like his brain has stuttered to a halt. A flurry of excuses race their way through Richie’s head as to why Eddie would ever bother holding onto his hand. Maybe he’s trying to keep his own hand warm. Maybe he’s trying to keep Richie from fidgeting. Or... maybe --

“What about that one?” Eddie’s voice shakes him from his thoughts, seemingly oblivious to Richie’s internal crisis. Without unwinding their fingers, Eddie points just below the Big Dipper, towards another cluster of twinkling stars on the horizon.

Richie’s mouth is suddenly dry. He swallows hard before saying, “That one’s probably… Draco?” He ponders it for a moment, squinting.

“It’s kinda covered up by the trees. But yeah, Draco,” Richie decides after a moment. Eddie lets out a small sound somewhere between contentment and agreement. It was cute.

Silence falls between them again. Richie tries to force himself to relax - to be _comfortable_ \- and tries to focus on the stars instead of the way that Eddie is leaning against him. With each passing minute, it seems like more stars come out of the woodwork until they spread out overhead like a web of sparkling diamonds.

After a little while, it becomes obvious that Eddie is just as excited about the constellations as he is. Sometimes it causes him to speak in quick bursts, asking about shapes or what they meant. Richie is more than happy to explain the little knowledge that he knew, especially when he is rewarded with glances of awe and excitement. 

The two of them occasionally point out other constellations or stray stars. They quickly sort them into groups of ones that look like _actual shapes_ or ones that look like _shitty shapes_. They both easily agree that most of the constellations don’t resemble what they’re supposed to at all, but it’s still fun to identify them regardless.

And, if it allows for Richie to be this close to Eddie, discovering even the shittiest of shapes is worth it.

“Thanks for bringing me out here, Rich,” Eddie says after a little while, genuine appreciation in his voice. Richie’s heart pounds against his ribs when Eddie turns to look at him with a smile. “It’s… actually fun.”

The gentleness in his voice gives Richie a spark of hope, that maybe -- just _maybe_, Eddie thinks about him in the same way that he does. And that hope is enough for him. He ruffles Eddie’s hair beneath his fingers gently. 

“Anytime, Eds.”

**Author's Note:**

> Out of all of my fics, this was definitely one of my favorite ones to write (even if I had to do a Lot of research for it. Who knew what constellations were visible in Maine in the late summer??? Not me! But I guess now we all do. :P) 
> 
> I hope y'all liked it too! As always feedback and kudos are appreciated. ❤️
> 
> Thanks as always to Altocaramel for proofreading this for me -- and also for doing a little bit of an art trade for this fic, too!


End file.
